Updated: October 2026
In short: The Louwen diet is a way of eating for the last six to eight weeks of pregnancy, from about week 32. The method gives up sugar, white flour, potatoes and sweet fruits and relies on foods that raise blood sugar slowly. According to the sources checked, there is no study of the method itself. Talk to your midwife or gynaecologist first.
The Louwen diet, sometimes also spelled Louven diet, is a way of eating for pregnant women who hope for an easier birth. We summarise what expert sources report about the method: who is behind it, when it is recommended, what's allowed and what to avoid and what the evidence looks like. The information is based on the sources we opened; we haven't checked the original method. This article doesn't replace medical or midwife advice.
What is the Louwen diet?
The Louwen diet is named after Prof. Dr. Frank Louwen. According to FITBOOK, he heads obstetrics and the perinatal centre at the Frankfurt University Hospital and has specialised in the effect of sugar in pregnancy. The method is based on the glycaemic index: the aim is to avoid foods that make blood sugar, and with it insulin levels, rise sharply.
It's not a weight-loss diet. The aim is a diet for late pregnancy that is hoped to lead to an easier birth.
How is the Louwen method supposed to work?
The assumption behind it: insulin and prostaglandins compete for the same receptors. FITBOOK describes it as low insulin levels being meant to make it easier for prostaglandins to get labour going. According to familie.de, these hormones are said to be important for promoting contractions and for the maturing of the cervix.
That's a theory. Whether it results in a measurable advantage at birth is, according to the sources, not documented by meaningful studies; more on this further down.
Louwen diet: from when should you do it?
According to familie.de, the change is recommended between the 32nd and 34th week of pregnancy, so in the last six to eight weeks before birth. FITBOOK gives six to eight weeks before the due date or from the 32nd week of pregnancy. You don't need to change anything before that.
Important: before you change your diet, discuss it with your midwife or gynaecologist. familie.de also explicitly advises this.
What can you eat on the Louwen diet?
The exact lists differ slightly depending on the source. The overview summarises what familie.de and FITBOOK name.
| Category | Rather avoid | Rather allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | White flour products such as pasta, bread, rice | Wholegrain products, oats, buckwheat, quinoa |
| Vegetables | Potatoes, cooked carrots, sweetcorn, pumpkin, peas | Raw vegetables, salad, spinach, broccoli, peppers |
| Fruit | Dried fruit, pineapple, melon, banana, mango, papaya, grapes | Apples, kiwis, berries, oranges |
| Protein | No particular restrictions mentioned | Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, lentils |
| Other | Sugar of any kind, sweets, cake, juices | Nuts, unsaturated fats |
The principle remains: few fast-available carbohydrates, more protein, unsaturated fats and fibre.
What is the glycaemic index and why does it matter here?
The glycaemic index describes how strongly and how quickly a food makes blood sugar rise. White flour, sugar and potatoes make it rise quickly, wholegrain, legumes, vegetables and berries rather slowly. The Louwen method starts exactly here and sorts foods accordingly.
The concept is well known in nutrition, but it only says something about the rise in blood sugar, not about the overall value of a food. Potatoes, for example, also provide nutrients. That's why you shouldn't narrow your menu too much and should eat enough, especially in the last weeks of pregnancy.
Louwen diet recipes and meal plan: ideas for everyday life
We have no official weekly plan. As an example, FITBOOK gives, instead of a croissant with jam, a muesli of oats with fresh berries or wholegrain bread with herb quark. Based on the allowed foods, we put together the following suggestion. It's our idea and not an original plan of the method.
| Meal | Idea |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Oats with berries and nuts |
| Lunch | Lentil soup with wholegrain bread, plus salad |
| In between | Apple with nuts or quark with berries |
| Evening | Pan-fried fish with broccoli and quinoa |
If you're looking for a table to print out, use the overview above as a guide and discuss it with your midwife.
What does the evidence say about the Louwen diet?
Familie.de states that there is no study of its own on the Louwen diet. A 2016 meta-analysis of 1,985 pregnant women suggests that low-glycaemic-index diets can have a favourable effect on women giving birth, but warns against jumping to conclusions. FITBOOK writes that meaningful study results for easier births are lacking and that giving up the forbidden fruits and vegetables has yet to be proven.
As a possible side effect, FITBOOK names a possible prevention of gestational diabetes. That's no substitute for antenatal check-ups and care for known gestational diabetes.
For you, that means: the Louwen diet is a nutrition idea with understandable logic, but without proof for its main claim. A balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and wholegrain is a solid foundation regardless of this method. Whether it suits you in this strict form is something you decide with your midwife.
Louwen diet experiences and daily life: what should you pay attention to?
In forums and on social media you'll find many reports, some enthusiastic, some disappointed. Individual experiences show what worked for one person, but they say nothing about cause and effect, because every birth is different. According to the sources checked, we can neither confirm nor refute that the method makes birth easier.
If you feel good with the diet, nothing speaks against trying it in agreement with your midwife or gynaecologist, according to these sources. What matters is that you eat and drink enough and check back if you have complaints.
A few points help to make the change practical:
- Talk to your midwife or gynaecologist first, especially if you have pre-existing conditions, gestational diabetes or nausea
- Swap rather than cut: wholegrain bread instead of white bread, berries instead of banana
- Plan snacks with protein so you don't get cravings
- Eat enough and drink enough
- Go easy on yourself: one exception does no harm, and the method is no guarantee of a particular course of birth
Pairs well with frank.
Juice Cleanses are not suitable during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If, after this time, you'd like light vegetable meals again, you'll find our Soup Cleanse.
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Frequently asked questions about the Louwen diet
What is the Louwen diet?
A way of eating for late pregnancy according to Prof. Dr. Frank Louwen. The method avoids sugar, white flour and foods that raise blood sugar strongly and is meant to make birth easier. That isn't proven.
From when should you do the Louwen diet?
The last six to eight weeks before the due date are recommended, so roughly from the 32nd week of pregnancy.
What can you eat on the Louwen diet?
Wholegrain products, raw vegetables, salad, berries, apples, kiwis, meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and lentils. Sugar, white flour, potatoes and sweet fruits are avoided.
Are there studies on the Louwen diet?
According to familie.de, there is no study of its own on the Louwen diet. A 2016 meta-analysis of 1,985 pregnant women points to benefits of low-GI food but urges caution.
Does the Louwen diet also make sense with gestational diabetes?
We have no robust information on this. With gestational diabetes, your gynaecologist and diabetes counselling determine the diet.
Is it Louwen or Louven diet?
The name comes from Prof. Dr. Frank Louwen. The spelling Louven is a common typo.
Note: This article is for general information and does not replace medical or therapeutic advice. If you have symptoms or pre-existing conditions, are pregnant or take medication, please speak to your doctor first.
